Half of UK population will get cancer
pharmafile | February 4, 2015 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | CDF, CRUK, Cancer, Jevtana, Sanofi, cabazitaxel
New figures from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) suggest that one in two people will develop cancer at some point in their lives.
Previous estimates from the charity had placed the figure at one in three people. However, CRUK says that the new figures, published in the British Journal of Cancer today to coincide with World Cancer Day, are calculated using a more accurate method.
Despite cancer survival rates continuing to improve, an increasingly ageing population means that the number of cancer cases will inevitably rise.
“Cancer is primarily a disease of old age, with more than 60% of all cases diagnosed in people aged over 65,” explains professor Peter Sasieni, the study author. “If people live long enough then most will get cancer at some point.
“But there’s a lot we can do to make it less likely – like giving up smoking, being more active, drinking less alcohol and maintaining a healthy weight.”
Harpal Kumar, CRUK’s chief executive, adds: “We’re living longer and that means we’re more likely to develop a range of age-related health issues. We need to plan ahead to make sure the NHS is fit to cope. If the NHS doesn’t act and invest now, we will face a crisis in the future – with outcomes from cancer going backwards.”
Sanofi attacks CDF delisting
Also coinciding with World Cancer Day, Sanofi has hit out at the government for its decision to de-list its prostate cancer drug Jevtana (cabazitaxel) from the Cancer Drugs Fund.
“Today marks World Cancer Day, which this year focusses on ‘achieving treatment for all’,” the firm says in a statement. “However, in less than five weeks’ time, men with hormone resistant advanced prostate cancer in England who could benefit from Jevtana (cabazitaxel) will not be able to access it.
“In time, some prostate cancers become resistant to hormone therapy and continue to grow despite treatment. Jevtana is the only active treatment option for advanced prostate cancer which is not responsive to available hormonal therapies following initial chemotherapy (with docetaxel).
“The decision to de-list Jevtana and another 25 uses of cancer medicines is surprising, given that English cancer patients are still faring poorly compared to their European counterparts.”
NICE originally rejected Jevtana for NHS funding because of questions of its safety combined with its high cost.
Although the drug has been shown to increase overall survival by more than three months, the watchdog ruled that this is not enough to justify its price of £22,200 per patient for six rounds of treatment, especially when the chemotherapy agents available for this setting – including mitoxantrone, 5FU, and carboplatin – are all much cheaper.
NICE also noted that the drug comes with a high risk of side effects, including anaemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia and gastrointestinal events such as diarrhoea – as well as many other common adverse reactions.
Defending the decision to de-list drugs from the fund, Professor Peter Clark the chair of the CDF, has said: “These are difficult decisions, but if we don’t prioritise the drugs that offer the best value, many people could miss out on promising, more effective treatments that are in the pipeline.”
George Underwood
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